10 Things To Try When You Are Feeling Sad
It’s never too late to start over, if you weren’t happy with yesterday, try something different today and be happy. When we feel stuck we may desperately try to make things better, and if we fail, feel miserable. Remember that we all get sad sometimes, clinical depression is different and requires professional intervention.
If you are feeling blue try the following tricks to cheer you up:
• Stop blaming yourselfThe most important thing is to stop blaming yourself, you never intended for this to happen. Managing clinical depression requires a practical approach and patience. Per Richard Raskin, PhD, a New York clinical psychologist, “You need to be able to own the reality that depression is a physical illness like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.” Deal with the situation instead of blaming yourself.
• LaughThis is well said by Charlie Chaplin, “To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain and play with it.” Find some humor in any situation when you feel sad. Look for things to make you happy again, what made you happy in the past will often make you happy again on some level. Watch some slapstick comedy that does not give one time to think too much.
• SleepIf you are not getting enough sleep you can make sadness worse. It’s hard to rest peacefully when you are depressed but do try to sleep. If nothing else works try meditating until you are sleepy, things seem easier, you think of solutions rather than problems, and you feel more powerful.
• Watch a favorite comedyIt’s always enjoyable to watch a favorite movie or show. Forget all your sorrows and get involved with the characters, invite a friend or sibling to hang out with you to make it more fun.
• Cuddle with a furry friendThere are few things more soothing than hugging a pet, it helps you feel relaxed which helps you feel better. If you don’t have a pet cuddle with your neighbor’s or friend’s pet.
• Browse for positivityOur website, positivemed.com, keeps posting information about being positive and staying healthy, go through our quotes and helpful articles. There are other places to get information as well, if you are browsing online look for the positive.
• Discuss itIt is better to let go of what is making you sad than to keep it to yourself. You may not want to share but there is always someone in our lives whom we can trust. Talk to a parent, close friend, or family member, someone who can listen and maybe offer advice. A professional therapist is also a great option.
• Avoid grains and sugarsSome believe depression and/or anxiety is caused by inflammation that is stimulated by sugar and gluten. We don’t feel inflammation in our brain like in other parts of the body so we rarely link the food we eat with our moods. One study shows approximately 52% of gluten-sensitive people are depressed, definitely worth trying to give up gluten!
• Take a shower or long bathA nice relaxing bath with essential oils and a good book to read can make you feel incredibly pampered. A shower and body scrub can do the same thing!
• MeditateMeditation can help us stay calm and positive, it helps eliminate negative thoughts. Your mind will be more calm and composed, it improves circulation, lowers blood pressure, and helps you feel more positive and pro-active about your life.
